Water-gage.



110 850350. I PATENTEDAPR.9,19O7.-

' A. s. puwnLL.

WATER GAGE;

APPLICATION FILED MAY 1%.1905.

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ALBERT S. POWELL, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

WATER-GAGE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 9, 1907.

Application filed May 10,1905. Serial No. 259.810.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT S. POWELL, a citizen of the United States,residing at Ohicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented new and useful Improvements in Water-Gages, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to water-gages for boilers, and has for itsobjects to produce a comparatively simple inexpensive device of thischaracter in which the steam and water from the boiler will be readilyadmitted to the gage-tube, one wherein in the event of the tube breakingor becoming otherwise defective the flow of water and steam to the tubewill be automatically cut off, and one in which the cut-off or checkvalves may be readily removed to permit cleaning or repairing of thetube.

With these and otherobjects in view the invention comprises the novelfeatures of construction and combination of parts morev fullyhereinafter described.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly insection, of a boilergage embodying the invention. Fig. 2 is a top planview of the same. Fig. 3 is adetail section transversely through the uper check-valve, taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is aperspective view of the guide for the valve-stem.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates a gage-supporting frame of usualconstruction comprisin end members or plates 2 and vertical parallelrods 3, connected at their ends with said plates, to which latter thereis also connected hollow valve-casings 4 identical in construction andeach consisting of a casting having an internal chamber 5 and an outerinternally-threaded reduced neck 6, said valve-casings 4 being providedwith inner re duced necks 7, to which are coupled the ends of a glassgaged tube 8, disposed within and extending longitudinally through theframe 1. Leading from the chamber 5 of each casing 4 and through thereduced neck 7 is a port 9, communicating with the adjacent end of thetube 8 and having at its inner end a beveled valve-seat 10, there beingformed upon each valve-casing a tubular externallythreaded nipple 11,adapted for connection with the engine-boiler and constituting a portleading to the chamber 5, said port being adapted to be closed by asuitable valve, the stem 12 of which extends through a tubular bearing13, also formed upon the casing 4 and in line with the nip le 1 1.

Threaded into the re uced neck6 of the upper valve-casing is a plug 14,equipped with a polygonal head 15, said plugbeingprovided wlth aninternal-screw-threaded portion 15, and arranged above saidscrew-threads and within the plug is a recess 14.

The numeral 16 designates a base-piece having a central opening therein,and on the upper surfaceof this base andcontiguous with the openingthereof is a spaced-apart guide 16, constructed in two sections, havingsemicircular inner surfaces and rounded outer surfaces and flat frontand rear faces, the upper end of the two sections being externallythreaded at 15 to engage the internalscrew-threaded portion 15 of theplug. A stem 17 with a valve 18 on its lower end is slidably mounted inthe opening of the base I 16, and said stem is also interposed betweenthe semicircular inner faces of the two section of the guide, said valveserving to contact with a .seat 10 in the upper casing to close thesame. The upper end of the stem is provided with a disk 14 which servesin connection with the recess to regulate the movement ofsaid valve 18.A spring 19 is lapped to the rounded sides of the sections of the guidein coiled position and has one end secured in a perforation of the stem'17, its other end being secured in a perforation of the base 16.

Threaded into the neck 6 of the lower casing 4 is a plug 20, into whichis tapped one end of an inwardly-projecting guide 21, having slidablydisposed therein the stem 22 of a lower check-valve 23, designed toclose upon the adjacent seat 10 and normally maintained in openedposition through gravity, there being connected with the plug a petcock24, through the medium of which the lower chamber 5 may be drained fromtime to time, as circumstances require, it being understood that thelowercasing 4 is equipped with a nipple 11, adapted for engagement withthe boiler and constituting a port leading to the chamber, said portbeing designed to be closed by a valve, the

-stem 12 of which works in an extension in line with the nipple, as inthe instance of the upper casing 4 above described and as shown in Fig.2.

In practice the upper casing 4 is connected with the boiler at a pointabove the waterlevel, or, in other words, with the steamspace of theboiler, while the lower casing 4 is connected with the latter at a pointbelow the water-level, whereby when the controlling-valves are openedthe water and steam will flow into the tube 8 and through theequalization of pressure indicate in the latter the water-level of theboiler, as is usual in devices of this character. In the event of thetube 8 becoming broken or a leakage occurring at the point of itsconnection with either of the necks 7 the equalization of the pressurein the tube as compared with that in the boiler will of course bedestroyed, and the increased pressure exerted by the water and steamentering the chambers 5 will automatically actuate the valves 18 and 23for closing the ports 9, leading to the tube, under which conditions thevalves will close firmly upon their seats 10. As soon as the checkvalvesclose the flow of water and steam from the boiler to the tube will ofcourse be cut oil, and in order to repair the damage it is onlynecessary to close the ports 11 by means of their cut-off valves,whereupon the defective joint of the tube may be remedied or a new tubemounted in the frame 1, after which operation and upon opening the cutoff valves the check-valves will automatically return to open position,the upper valve being moved through the medium of the spring 19 and thelower valve 23 by gravity, as heretofore explained. At such times as itmay be desirable to clean or for other purposes to gain access to theinterior of the tube 8 the plugs 14 and 20 may be readily unscrewed andremoved from the necks 6, carrying with them their respective valves 18and 23, which are connected to the plugs through the medium of theguides 16 and 21.

It is to be particularly noted that in my improved device the tube 8 isdisposed at the tube 8 may be cleaned or a new tube introduced by merelyoperating the cut-off valves to stop the flow of water and steam to thetube, thus obviating the necessity for allowing the steam-pressure inthe boiler to fall during the cleaning or repairing operation of thegage.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is Awater-gage comprising a glass tube with casings at opposite ends havingvalve-seats therein, plugs tapped into the walls of the casings, arecess in one of the plugs, a guide having a base with a central openingtherein, and provided with spaced-apart sections rislng upwardlytherefrom, each having semicircular inner faces and rounded outer faces,a stem mounted in the opening of the guidebase, a valve on the lower endof the stem to engage the valve-seat, said stem having vertical movementin said semicircular faces of the guide and its base, a spring lapped tothe rounded outer faces of the guide-sections and having its endssecured respectively to the stem and the base of the guide, and a diskon the upper end of the stem having movement in said recess of the plugto regulate the action of the valvestem, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ALBERT S. POWELL.

Vitnesses PHILIP C. KESSLER, RoBT. C. SI-IEEHAN.

